Robert Smith

Emerged as the team’s top safety in 2013 after serving as a backup in 2011 and 2012 ... was one of the defense’s leaders as a “quarterback” in the secondary ... had 182 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback pressures, four interceptions for 28 yards, seven pass breakups, one caused fumble and three recovered fumbles in 1,641 snaps over 53 games (26 starts) in his career ... tied for fourth in school history in games ... two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member.

2014: Honorable Mention All-ACC selection (media, coaches) ... Medal of Honor Bowl invitee ... had 80 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback pressures, two interceptions, one pass breakup and two recovered fumbles in 664 snaps over 13 games (12 starts) ... had nine tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and recovered fumble in 54 snaps at No. 12 Georgia on Aug. 30; named team defensive player-of-the-game ... had six tackles in 61 snaps at No. 1 Florida State on Sept. 20 ... had six tackles and an interception in 79 snaps against North Carolina on Sept. 27 ... had seven tackles in 46 snaps against NC State on Oct. 4 ... had seven tackles in 63 snaps against Louisville on Oct. 11 ... had a game-high 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception in 60 snaps against Syracuse on Oct. 25 ... had four tackles in 49 snaps at Wake Forest on Nov. 6 ... had six tackles, one tackle for loss and a recovered fumble in 33 snaps at No. 23 Georgia Tech on Nov. 15 ... had a team-tying-high 10 tackles in 61 snaps against Georgia State on Nov. 22; named team defensive player-of-the-game ... had seven tackles in 74 snaps against South Carolina on Nov. 29; named team co-defensive player-of-the-game ... had four tackles in 45 snaps against No. 24 Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29.

2013: ACC Academic Honor Roll member ... had 79 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception for 28 yards, five pass breakups and one recovered fumble in 814 snaps over 13 games (13 starts) ... had six tackles in 67 snaps against No. 5 Georgia on Aug. 31 ... had five tackles and one sack in 37 snaps against SC State on Sept. 7 ... had two tackles and a pass breakup in 71 snaps at NC State on Sept. 19 ... had nine tackles in 72 snaps at Syracuse on Oct. 5 ... had nine tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup in 59 snaps against Boston College on Oct. 12; named team co-defensive player-of-the-game ... had nine tackles and a pass breakup in 71 snaps against No. 5 Florida State on Oct. 19 ... had three tackles and a 28-yard interception return in 69 snaps at Maryland on Oct. 26 ... had six tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup in 61 snaps at Virginia on Nov. 2 ... had eight tackles in 69 snaps against Georgia Tech on Nov. 14 ... had six tackles and a pass breakup in 42 snaps against The Citadel on Nov. 23 ... had two tackles in playing all 81 snaps at No. 9 South Carolina on Nov. 30 ... had 10 tackles and a recovered fumble in the third quarter that turned the tide of the game in 72 snaps against No. 6 Ohio State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3; named team co-special teams player-of-the-game.

2012: ACC Academic Honor Roll member ... had 14 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup in 104 snaps over 13 games ... had two tackles in 13 snaps against Ball State on Sept. 8 ... had four tackles, including a team-high three tackles on special teams, in nine snaps against Furman on Sept. 15 ... had three tackles in 12 snaps at Wake Forest on Oct. 25 ... had two tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup in 43 snaps at Duke on Nov. 3 ... had two tackles in 20 snaps against Maryland on Nov. 10 ... had a game-high 10 tackles in the Spring Game.

2011: Had nine tackles and one interception in 59 snaps over 14 games (one start) ... had two tackles and the team’s only interception in seven snaps against Troy on Sept. 3; it was his first career game ... played 31 snaps against Wofford on Sept. 10; it was his first career start ... had two special teams tackles at Maryland on Oct. 15 ... had three tackles and a caused fumble in eight snaps against North Carolina on Oct. 22.

Before Clemson: Had 11,318 total yards during his career at Woodland High School ... had 124 career touchdowns (86 passing, 38 rushing) ... had 527 carries for 3,092 yards in his career ... was 636-950 passing for 8,226 yards and 86 touchdowns in his career ... completed 67 percent of his passes and averaged nearly 13 yards per completion ... passed for 1,770 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior ... rushed for 864 yards with 12 scores as a senior, giving him 36 total touchdowns ... all-state selection and four-time region MVP ... No. 22 player in South Carolina by SuperPrep ... No. 22 player in South Carolina by Rivals.com ... among the top safeties in the nation by Scout.com ... coached by Reed Charpia at Woodland High ... recruited by Dan Brooks.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Recent Stories on Robert Smith

- 1 year agoClemson’s pro hopefuls ran through a series of tests and drills as part of pro day festivities Thursday morning inside the Poe Indoor Practice Facility, and most of them appeared to help their cause in front of assembled NFL coaches, scouts and executives. Full Story »

- 1 year agoA Clemson school-record nine former players were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. On Wednesday, the NFL released the full list of this year's participants at the annual Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The combine runs Feb. 28-March 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Full Story »

- 2 years agoIt’s no secret that opposing coaches and defensive backs know Hunter Renfrow, but the unassuming former walk-on is still able to blend in with the regular students on his own campus.
Full Story »

- 2 years agoWhen the Tigers take the practice field on the final day of February, all eyes will be on Brent Venables and the young Clemson defense, which has to replace a bevy of starters and playmakers.
Full Story »

- 2 years agoThe question now becomes: who will be the leaders for mat drills, offseason conditioning, spring practice, summer workouts and fall camp? Who will step into the shoes of Eric Mac Lain and Ryan Norton and B.J. Goodson?
Full Story »

- 2 years agoFootball season is a long and grueling 13 weeks, and while every team suffers through bumps and bruises over the course of the season, Clemson has had to endure a tough ten-week stretch with no break. However, defensive coordinator Brent Venables won't let his defense make excuses.
Full Story »

- 2 years agoNo one knows the Clemson vs. South Carolina rivalry better than the football players who have taken snaps in the heated series, and with that in mind TigerNet reached out to former Clemson players, current recruits and even one head coach to get their take on this weekend’s game. What do Monte Lee, Sammy Watkins and Tony Steward predict?
Full Story »

- 3 years agoDefensive coordinator Brent Venables sat down with the media this week at head coach Dabo Swinney’s annual media golf outing, and he was asked if there was one player on his roster that would be a household name by the end of the season. His answer was quick and to the point: safety T.J. Green. Full Story »

- 3 years agoFresh off the golf course and a meal on the veranda of the clubhouse at The Reserve at Lake Keowee, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney sat down for almost an hour with the local media and covered a variety of topics concerning the 2015 season. Those topics concerned the health of Deshaun Watson and the status of players like Ammon Lakip, Jay Guillermo, Jay Jay McCullough and others.
Full Story »

- 3 years agoClemson’s football team faces a lot of high expectations heading into the 2015 season, but faces just as many question marks after off-season turmoil and roster turnover. However, Dabo Swinney expects his team to play in 15 games, meaning his goal is for the Tigers to play for the ACC Championship in December.(Photo by Mark Crammer) Full Story »

- 3 years agoJayron Kearse and the Clemson defense reached the pinnacle last season, and the only valley they want to reside in this season is Death Valley. What does Kearse say about expectations for this season? Full Story »

- 3 years agoBrent Venables must replace eight starters off of the nation’s number one defense, but more importantly he has to replace the team leadership. What does he say about the leadership on the defense? What is he looking for?
Full Story »

- 3 years agoThe Clemson defense lost several key pieces off of last year's team, including leaders in the secondary in Robert Smith and Garry Peters. However, safety Jayron Kearse expects that group to be even better in 2015. Full Story »

- 3 years agoBrent Venables says that walking onto the spring practice field for the first time this month made him realize just how many names were missing from last year's defense. However, he likes the talent on hand and doesn't think it's a rebuilding year. Full Story »

- 3 years agoD.J. Reader says he doesn't think expectations for Clemson's defense should change next season just because there will be several new starters, saying that the Tigers have developed a next man up mentality. Full Story »

- 3 years agoSpring practice begins next week and several position battles are up in the air as the Tigers begin a month-long process that ends with the annual spring game on April 11th. Before we head into the spring and we thought it would be interesting to take a look at what we think the starting lineups on defense would look like if the season started today. Full Story »

- 3 years agoThe NFL Scouting Combine gets underway in Indianapolis this week, and several former Clemson defensive players and punter Bradley Pinion will be under scrutiny, with former defensive end Vic Beasley perhaps undergoing the most scrutiny. What does Mike Mayock say about Beasley? What are his thoughts on Stephone Anthony and Grady Jarrett? Full Story »

- 3 years agoSpring practice is just around the corner, and despite the fact that Clemson is being mentioned for a run at the College Football Playoff there are still a lot of questions to be answered. Some of those questions won't be answered until the fall, but the spring will start the process. Full Story »

- 3 years agoFormer Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett participated in the Senior Bowl last week, and he gave an exclusive interview to TigerNet on the experience, his time at Clemson and his thoughts on next year's defense. Full Story »